NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University’s Chamber Choir has been selected to perform at the National Collegiate Choral Organization Conference to be held Nov. 7-9 at the University of Maryland.
NSU’s Chamber Choir conducted by Dr. Nicholaus Cummins was one of 12 ensembles from around the country selected to perform for college/university and choral professionals from around the country.
“Being selected as one of these 12 choirs from around the U.S. is a huge honor for Northwestern State and brings us into a whole new league in college choral programs,” said Cummins. “We’ve begun saying we are ordinary people making extraordinary music and this just proves that to our students.”
The Chamber Choir recently earned third prize in the Ave Verum International Choral Competition in Baden, Austria. The ensemble also performed in three European capitals at Saint Martin’s Basilica in Prague, Czech Republic, Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vienna, Austria, and Saint Martin’s Cathedral in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Last summer, the Northwestern State Lyric Choir won a Gold Medal in the Female Choirs category at the 3rd Budapest International Choral Celebration and Laurea Mundi International Open Competition and Grand Prix of Choral Music. The Chamber Choir received a Laurea Summa Cum Laude diploma in the Mixed Choir category and a Laurea Cum Laude diploma in the Musica Sacra (Sacred Music) category.
The National Collegiate Choral Organization exists to serve the specific needs of university and collegiate choral conductors by providing a national forum for their collegiate choruses to perform, by offering lectures and promoting repertoire suitable to their interests, and by aiding in their professional development and program growth through performance as well as scholarly and research opportunities.
NCCO sponsors biennial conferences that focus on the particular needs of the college/university and other choral professionals. These conferences include performances by university and college choirs, presentations/clinics/workshop sessions appropriate for university and college conductors and sessions that feature literature appropriate for university and college choirs.
For more information on Northwestern State’s choral programs, go to capa.nsula.edu/music.
